


She's Not Me

by rainsoakedshoes



Series: The Tale Of Reckless Love [5]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Serial Killers, F/M, Past Braeden/Derek Hale, Possessive Behavior, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-29
Updated: 2014-12-29
Packaged: 2018-03-04 04:16:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2922224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainsoakedshoes/pseuds/rainsoakedshoes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Derek Hale as I live and breathe,” She grinned. She walked over to Derek and enveloped him in a tight hug.<br/>“Braeden.” Derek gave her a loose one armed hug in return. “I didn’t expect you to be here.” That was an understatement. The last place he had seen Braeden was in New York, she had left months before Derek had met Lydia. He thought that he would never see her again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	She's Not Me

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry it took me so long to update this series. This is a lot more tame than the other fics in the series. I kind of hit a roadblock with ideas and i hoped writing a little something might bring me more inspiration. 
> 
> For Des, who commented on the last instalment suggesting that I bring in Braeden. I didn't write the full suggestion, but this is something.

When Derek stepped foot in the door of a Montana bar he was pretty certain he saw a ghost.

She was as beautiful as ever, playing pool with a bunch of bikers. Derek didn’t doubt that she was hustling them. She was dressed in a white tank top, dark jeans, and black boots. Her leather jacket was slung over the back of a nearby chair. Her laughter echoed through the bar as she sunk another ball in the corner pocket. A large scar down her jaw and neck marked her otherwise flawless dark skin.

She spotted Derek and smiled at him brightly. She effortlessly sunk the last ball and took the money off the edge of the pool table. The man she had been playing swore under his breath at her. She grabbed her jacket and ignored the slurs thrown her way.

“Derek Hale as I live and breathe,” She grinned. She walked over to Derek and enveloped him in a tight hug.

“Braeden.” Derek gave her a loose one armed hug in return. “I didn’t expect you to be here.” That was an understatement. The last place he had seen Braeden was in New York, she had left months before Derek had met Lydia. He thought that he would never see her again.

“I was just about to say the same thing to you,” Braeden laughed. “I didn’t think you’d ever leave New York. What are you doing here?”

Derek looked around the bar. Lydia was waiting in the car, he had been sent in ahead to scope out the place first.

“You could say I’m on an around the country trip with my wife.” Derek held up his hand to show off the gold wedding band that matched Lydia's own wedding ring.

“You got married?” Braeden shoved Derek playfully. “I can’t believe it.”

Derek shrugged. “I finally found the perfect one,” he said. “Someone who’s always going to be around.”

Braeden bristled a little at the passive aggressive jab. “Well, where is she?”

“In the car,” Derek said. “She’ll be in in a minute.”

“Maybe we could grab a table and a drink, and catch up while we wait for her?” Braeden suggested. That was the Braeden Derek remembered; flirting with everyone.

Derek nodded and followed her over to a vacant table. He had never been able to say no to Braeden before.

When she entered the bar Lydia was less than impressed to see Derek sitting and talking with an attractive woman. This had not been the plan.

Derek didn’t see Lydia coming and startled when he felt her hand on him. Lydia dug her nails a little too hard into Derek’s shoulder.

“Lyds,” Derek smiled when he had recovered from the initial shock. “This is Braeden, I knew her in New York before I met you,” he explained. “Braeden this is my wife Lydia.”

Braeden smiled and extended her hand to Lydia. “It’s nice to meet the woman who managed to tame Derek.”

“I don’t think I tamed him, he’s as wild as ever.” Lydia took Braeden’s hand. She resisted the urge to break the other woman’s fingers. Derek had mentioned Braeden before. He had told Lydia about how Braeden had walked out without warning. After Kate Lydia had little patience for Derek’s ex-girlfriends.

Lydia sat down next to Derek. She pulled her chair close to him and Derek put his arm around her shoulders. Lydia picked up Derek’s beer and took a sip from it.

“So how did the two of you meet?” Braeden asked, sipping at her own drink: whiskey neat.

“Lydia was a regular at Void,” Derek said. “We got together after I finally worked up the courage to ask her out.”

Lydia bit her lip to stop the laugh bubbling in her throat – it was funny thinking about how innocent it sounded when Derek put it that way – but she didn’t say anything.

“Come on, Der.” Braeden leaned across the table and put her hand over Derek’s that was resting on the table. “You were never the kind to be nervous asking girls out.”

“Lydia’s different,” Derek said. That was another jab at Braeden. When they had met they had been equally confident, and had fallen into bed together within two hours of meeting.

“What happened between the two of you?” Lydia asked, looking from Derek to Braeden. “Why didn’t it work out?” Lydia had no qualms about rocking the boat.

“Braeden left,” Derek said simply, looking Braeden in the eye.

“I tried to call, you never picked up,” Braeden countered.

Derek scoffed and took his beer back from Lydia. He took a long drink from it.

“That’s too bad,” Lydia said. “You let go of a real good guy.” She ran a hand through Derek’s hair.

Braeden hummed in agreement. “Sometimes I miss him. Remember that night in SoHo, Derek? When we watched the sunrise from the rooftop?”

“Night? I think you mean end of a three day binge,” Derek said. “I remember flashes of it.”

Braeden laughed. “That was a really good time.”

“It was,” Derek conceded with a smile. He’d had some good times with Braeden.

“We had a lot of fun together,” Braeden continued.

“We did,” Derek nodded. “Then you left with no warning, and waited three weeks to call me.”

Braeden shook her head and laughed again. “You know I’m not one to get tied down easily.”

Lydia pressed herself as close to Derek as she could. “I’ve never felt tied down with Derek,” she said. “In fact it was his idea that we take off and go on a road trip. We haven’t been back to New York in months and we don’t plan to go back any time soon.”

Braeden downed the last of her drink. “It was really nice catching up with you Derek, and meeting you Lydia. But I guess I should let you get back to your night out.” She pushed back her chair and stood up.

“I don’t feel much like being out anymore,” Lydia admitted. “Maybe we should just go back to the hotel room?” She asked Derek.

“Sure,” Derek nodded. Running into Braeden had thrown all their plans out the window. They would try again tomorrow night at a different bar.

“I’ll walk you out then,” Braeden said. “My bike’s parked in the car park around back.”

Derek and Lydia both stood as well. “You still riding that stupid bike?” Derek asked. He had never liked Braeden’s motorcycle.

“Of course,” Braeden smiled. “I’d never give up my baby.” Derek scowled at that. When Braeden had left it was to go on a trip with some bikers. In the end she had chosen the bike over Derek.

The three of them walked out of the bar together. The car park was dark; there was only one light at the far end which flickered feebly.

Braeden tugged on Derek arm and got him to slow down, so she could whisper in his ear without Lydia overhearing.

“She’s a bit boring calling it an early night, isn’t she? You should just ditch her and we could catch up some more. Maybe we could have some fun like we used to.”

Derek sighed and shook his head. “I wish you hadn’t of said that.”

“Come on.” Braeden hip checked Derek lightly. “I bet I’m more fun than her.”

Before Braeden could say anything else Derek had a hand around her throat, and slammed her against a nearby car.

The commotion made Lydia turn around. “Derek? What’s going on?”

“Braeden was just saying some things she shouldn’t have.” Derek didn’t let go of Braeden, who was staring daggers at him.

“What did she say?” Lydia walked back over to stand next to Derek.

“That she’s more fun than you.”

“Do you think that’s true?” Lydia asked.

Derek held eye contact with Braeden. “No.”

Lydia edged Derek out of the way so she could stand directly in front of Braeden. When Derek let go of Braeden she stayed where she was.

“He told me about you, did you know that?” Lydia said. “He barely talks about his past relationships but he told me about you. He told me about how you got that scar.” Lydia scratched a painted nail down the scar on Braeden’s neck. “Some mugger in Brooklyn with a knife, wasn’t it? He told me about how he beat the living shit out of the guy who hurt you.” Lydia leaned in close to Braeden and whispered in her ear. “He beat up some guy for you, but he’s _killed_ for me.”

“What do you want to do?” Derek asked Lydia. In his pocket his hand closed around his garrotte.

“I want to leave with my husband,” Lydia said. She stepped away from Braeden and linked her arm with Derek’s. “She’s not worth it.”

The look on Braeden’s face when Derek agreed with Lydia was more satisfying than killing her would have been.

Braeden composed herself and stood up straight. “I hope you have fun with my leftovers then.”

Lydia clenched her jaw and took her arm back from Derek. She slapped Braeden hard across the face. Maybe she should just kill Braeden and be done with it.

Derek took Lydia’s hand on his and tugged her gently away from Braeden. He was insulted and hurt, but still thinking more calmly and clearly than Lydia.

“You’re not worth it,” Lydia said again. She turned her back on Braeden, and squeezed Derek’s hand. “You walking out on Derek was probably the best thing that happened to him, until I came along anyway.”

When they reached their car – one they had rented legally this time – Derek got behind the wheel, and Lydia sat in the passenger’s seat. Lydia waited for Derek to start the engine then twisted in her seat, and leaned across the centre console to kiss him.

After they broke the kiss Lydia smoothed a hand over Derek’s hair and smiled at him. “The next time we run into one of your ex-girlfriends I’m going to gut her like a fish,” she warned.

Derek nodded. He knew her well enough to know that she wasn’t bluffing.

“Only if I get to do the same to any of your ex-boyfriends we might meet,” Derek said.

Lydia laughed. “I’ll give you their addresses if you want.”

Derek put the car in drive. “Let’s get the fuck out of Montana.”

Lydia put her hand on Derek’s thigh and sat back in her seat. Leaving Montana sounded like a great idea.

**Author's Note:**

> im on [tumblr](http://heavenlyhale.tumblr.com/) and like always suggestions and prompts are welcome.


End file.
